Market Basket workers in Fitchburg elated to be back to work

Thursday

Aug 28, 2014 at 1:52 PMAug 28, 2014 at 3:50 PM

By Paula J. Owen TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

For the first time in weeks, Market Basket employees at the Water Street store in Fitchburg were faced with lines of customers waiting to get checked out. Meantime, short speeches from elated and victorious employees played through the store's speakers.

Cashier Debbie A. Joseph of Fitchburg, who has worked at the store part-time for 29 years, and bagger Paige H. Lancaster of Leominster, who has worked there part-time for seven years, said all the employees were very happy.

"It is just starting," Ms. Joseph said. "We have lines, and we haven't had lines in a while. I was very happy to get the phone call this morning saying to come back."

"It is good to be back," Ms. Lancaster said. "Finally the feud is over, and we can get back to normal again."

Both said they went without pay for three weeks while Market Basket employees staged protests at stores throughout New England after their beloved CEO Arthur T. Demoulas was ousted in June by rival cousin Arthur S. Demoulas.

Hundreds of warehouse workers and drivers refused to deliver products to the 71-supermarket chain, leaving shelves empty. Customers stopped shopping at Market Basket – some to show their support of the employee protest – and the company lost millions in revenue. There are two Market Basket stores in Fitchburg.

Ms. Joseph said "thank God" for her husband, City Councilor Jody Joseph, who she said supported her emotionally and financially throughout the protest.

This morning, she was checking out Saskia M. Martinez of Fitchburg, who was tending to her three children ages 1, 3 and 5.

A single mom, Ms. Martinez said she shopped at Market Basket almost daily before the protests started and depended on its low prices.

"I'm just happy it is over," she said. "Taking three kids into Hannaford's packed?" she said, rolling her eyes. "I couldn't even turn around."

Front-end manager Adiel G. Silva, of Gardner, who has worked at the store for the 10 years since he came to the United States from Brazil, said that delivery trucks rolled in throughout the night Wednesday. He expects another delivery Thursday afternoon, he said.

"By Sunday we'll be fully stocked," he said, smiling.

On Wednesday, Mr. Silva only had two registers open, down from around eight during normal business, he said. Thursday there were four open. The store has about 350 employees, he said.

"The news yesterday said they might close 61 of our 71 stores, and today we're back in business," he said. "It is just awesome. It couldn't have been better. It is a relief."

Ms. Joseph and Ms. Lancaster said they didn't feel the protests would hurt the supermarket chain's business long-term.

Longtime Market Basket customer Greg M. Belkin pf Fitchburg, who works as director of marketing for a software company, said he didn't think it would hurt the chain long-term, either.

"I think everybody will come back," he said. "It was nice to see an example of people working together for a common cause, and at the end of the day, they were successful. They put their paychecks on the line, and people spent more money on their food bills shopping elsewhere. They all put their money where their mouth is."

Contact Paula Owen at powen@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @PaulaOwenTG.